Through the steering wheel and sometimes on the brake pedal, I can feel a binding sensation on my truck ('01 Ram 4x4) when I turn the wheel and is more evident when turning slowly. You can hear it too.

Upper and lower balljoints have been replaced. Trackbar and front axle u-joints were done about 20,000 miles ago. The rest of the front suspension looks great.

The only thing I can think of is the u-joints in the steering shaft. If I grab the steering shaft I can wiggle it a little bit.

It's very hard to reproduce the sound exactly when you want to which is making this a bitch to diagnose.

when my steering box was on the way out I noticed major play in the sector shaft and it was popping sorta like what you described. The pitman would move about .5 of an inch and the shaft would just deflect... the box was the culprit. New box, and a DSS to brace the thing and it was fixed.
grab an assistant and check it out!

I was thinking it was just axle u-joints or hubs (120000 miles and still origional hubs).

Let me know if you get it checked out and what the cause was. I'm personally probably going to wait until something breaks, until I get annoyed enough by it, or when I leave the piss poor college student life.

No, only part-time. The wheel doesn't jerk at all, I just feel a clicking through the steering wheel and brake pedal.

Your '79 Chevy has full-time 4WD???

Yes, I put lockout hubs on the front to reduce the friction for highway driving. It originally came with solid hubs. When they are locked, I get wheelhop on a turn. Now that I am dropping a 454 into it, I doubt I will be doing much highway driving, so I will go back to solid hubs.

If you are just getting a clicking, I would guess that a U-Joint must be going bad. Have you tried to lift one side and see how much play you have before there is friction? Listen for a click noise?

There should also be some type of retainer keeping the shaft in (ie. axle bearing). If that is wearing out and the shaft is shifting, you will have some mis-alignment causing that sound.

Yes, I put lockout hubs on the front to reduce the friction for highway driving. It originally came with solid hubs. When they are locked, I get wheelhop on a turn. Now that I am dropping a 454 into it, I doubt I will be doing much highway driving, so I will go back to solid hubs.

If you are just getting a clicking, I would guess that a U-Joint must be going bad. Have you tried to lift one side and see how much play you have before there is friction? Listen for a click noise?

There should also be some type of retainer keeping the shaft in (ie. axle bearing). If that is wearing out and the shaft is shifting, you will have some mis-alignment causing that sound.

Gotcha. Big blocks are nice.

I doubt it's the U-joint because it's a completely different sound then when those went bad before.

I haven't really had a chance to lift it up. I may be able to this weekend.

I drove it today, and it barely did it. It's almost as if it seems to do it more when it's hot outside. I don't know why, unless it's directly related to the power steering fluid getting hot.

Same problem on my '94. Turned out to be the steering shaft from the firewall to the box. Replaced it with a OEM. Afterward I found a couple of places that sell aftermarket replacements that may be better. Including borgensen (sp). It's a common Dodge issue.

Same problem on my '94. Turned out to be the steering shaft from the firewall to the box. Replaced it with a OEM. Afterward I found a couple of places that sell aftermarket replacements that may be better. Including borgensen (sp). It's a common Dodge issue.